Recession Robs Spain's Youth of Jobs and Hope

…Take Eva Reina L

“We’ve hardly even started our careers, and we’re already disillusioned,” says Noa Beade, 24. Like others her age, Beade gets upset whenever she gives some serious thought to her career prospects. A year ago, Beade received a journalism degree from San Pablo CEU, a respected private university. She has also completed four internships, speaks English fluently and spent six months in Paris learning French on Europe’s ERASMUS student exchange program. But even with all these qualifications, she didn’t land any of the several dozen jobs — or unpaid internships — she applied for directly out of college. A drop in advertising revenues has crippled the Spanish media. Instead of hiring, they’re laying people off.

Beade’s father, who lives in Galicia and also works in the wind energy industry, paid